Lies
by LTC
Summary: AU- Zeta learns he has been reprogrammed by Brother's Day. Ro refuses to believe it. Can she convince Zee? STORY IS FINSHED
1. Search

A Note From the Author~ After I finished my last story, I realized that I was spending half of my life on fanfiction.net. I resolved to take a break, cut down on the time I spend on ff.net and read only a few select fics. Well, less than a month later, I'm back and writing more. *sheepish grin* This is not a sequel to the Eta Project, however (although if you haven't read it, I'd love you if you did! ^^). This particular fic idea came to me while re-watching Wired Part 2 for the millionth time. It's an AU (Alternate Universe) fiction, and it's promising to be a lot darker than my last fiction. Just realize that this particular AU completely disregards almost everything we learned in Hologram Man, and several other details may be different as well, although that will come later.  
  
I write these fics mainly for my own enjoyment, and post them because I can't bear to see it sitting on my computer desktop with nothing to do. However, I love reading reviews, so if you do take the time to read, would you mind dropping me a note? The Zeta Project fan fiction section is generally a very friendly section, from what I've seen, but I'll put it here just in case. . .  
  
Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged, but flames are just cruel. I have an incredibly thick skin when it comes to people criticising me without giving any reason, so I will ignore you. Constructive criticism is much more effective. Wow, this note is long. Without further ado. . .the disclaimer! ^^  
  
Disclaimer~ Just in case you thought the Zeta Project belongs to me, it doesn't. Wish it did, especially Zee, but it doesn't. Consider this chapter and the rest disclaimed. Now for the actual story.  
  
Chapter 1~ Search  
  
Somewhere, in this place, somewhere, he was here. The one he had to find at all costs, the one who meant so much more to him than just freedom, but a sense of need that he could not understand. Somewhere, waiting, nearby-  
  
"Zee!" came the urgent whisper. Zeta was startled out of his strange thoughts by the blond girl who crouched next to him in the cold, metal lab, hidden behind his hologram meant to look like a box of old computer parts.  
  
"Yes?" he said back, not in a whisper, but in a tone so soft that none but she could hear.  
  
"You've been staring out there for hours, and my legs are starting to cramp. Haven't you found anything?"  
  
"No. But I know Dr. Selig will be here. He had a meeting with Dr. Giannichi here today at 7:00. I wonder why he's late."  
  
The sound of footsteps filled the hall. Too many footsteps, moving too fast. Three figures in dark suits entered the room. There were more following. One raised a pair of what looked like green lensed binoculars to her eyes.  
  
"We'd better get out of here," whispered Ro again, tugging on his holographic blue coat sleeve.  
  
"But. . .Dr. Selig. . ." said Zee, strangely against leaving even though it meant capture. He wanted to find Selig- with every day this desire became stronger, more powerful. But it wouldn't do to be caught, he decided finally. He let down the outer hologram around him and Ro, and lifted her up. She frowned at him, not liking to be carried, but trusted him enough to let him do it.  
  
The NSA spotted them immediately, and the red-headed agent in front frantically began firing his sidearm, to the exasperation of his partner. Zeta's fist that did not hold Ro smashed the window, and still holding her, he jumped from the second story, throwing his free arm out for balance as he landed perfectly on his feet.  
  
Once on the ground, stepping out of the deep imprints he had left in the ground on landing, Zeta realized escape might present a problem. They had just left one of the governments notorious hidden labs, this one minimum security but still troublesome. The guards were already working to activate the gate that would close the security field around the perimeter. Not to mention that the lab was located deep in a supposed wildlife preserved in southern Maryland. There was only one road in and out, so the NSA would catch up to him very quickly.  
  
Zeta processed this information in less than a second, and chose the best method of escape, stealing a security truck nearby. He ripped open the door and tossed Ro into the passengers' seat before connecting to the Truck's computer and starting it up. Ro brushed herself off and glared at her friend in annoyance for tossing her around, but fastened her seatbelt hastily as he veered through the closing security gate, and made it through just in time.  
  
She was glad of her seatbelt a few seconds later when a small blue car turned onto the entrance ramp as they sped out of it, and crashed headlong into the truck. The two cars slammed against the wall violently. Ro slumped down in her seat.  
  
"Ro, are you alright?" Zeta shook his friend's shoulder gently, in concern. She coughed and opened her eyes, groaning mildly.  
  
"Wha' happened?" she muttered thickly.  
  
"We crashed into another car."  
  
The sound of the NSA van charging up came to their ears, so loud that even Ro could recognize it.  
  
"Let's go," she commanded, more alert.  
  
"Wait! There's someone in that car- they may be hurt!"  
  
"Zee! There isn't time!" she complained, knowing it was useless. Zeta had already forced open the car door.  
  
"They still have to open the shield before they can get here, and- Ro! I don't believe it! It's Dr. Selig!"  
  
"What? He. . .he's okay, right?"  
  
"He's hurt. Head injury, but I believe he'll make it. We need to get somewhere safe."  
  
Zeta lifted the unconscious man, thinking that it might be best to leave him for care here, but wondering if there even was a hospital nearby. He began to run into the woods, keeping to a north-eastern direction. Ro followed, legs aching as she struggled to keep up with his superhuman pace.  
  
Zeta kept running through the forest, having no idea where he was running to. All he knew was that he had to get Dr. Selig to safety, and he somehow felt that this way would provide a safe haven.  
  
The forest was deep and wide, he had been running for over an hour and was still in the thick of it. His keen senses picked up that the footsteps behind him were falling heavier and slower. He turned his head around to see Ro, clutching her side, panting so heavily she could barely speak.  
  
"Could we stop for a sec?" she finally spat out. He frowned. Everything told him not to stop, to keep running, that he had to go on. Something terrible might happen if he didn't continue.  
  
"Let's keep going. We may find someplace soon. . ."  
  
"Can you still hear them?" she asked, preparing to start again as she registered Zee's concern and realized they may not yet be safe.  
  
"No," he admitted, unable to explain the sense of urgency that pushed him on.  
  
"Okay then." She sat down on the ground, inhaling deeply.  
  
"Ro. . ."  
  
She shot him a nasty look. "Well I'm sorry if we can't all be perfect like you, Zee, but humans need to rest every once in awhile!"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"S'ok," she muttered, laying back down on the ground and closing her eyes, though still awake. Zeta lay Dr. Selig down next to her, and examined his vital signs. He was still breathing, and his heart rate was normal, not to mention his eyelids moved slightly. He didn't seem to be in danger of death anymore, but instead in a semi-conscious sleep. Zeta left him and walked for a bit through the bushes, following the sound of running water. He found a small stream, and cupped the clear liquid in his palms, pressing them tightly together to avoid spilling as he walked back to Ro. She pulled herself up using his shoulder for support and drank out of his hands.  
  
"Mmm, cold. Thanks, needed that. And, well. . .sorry. For making you stop."  
  
"It isn't your fault. It's mine, I haven't been thinking of you. You can't travel as fast as I can, but we can slow down our pace. Dr. Selig won't die, even if delayed from the hospital for awhile. But we need to get to Spring City, it isn't too far, and we'll be safer."  
  
"Oh, yeah, Spring City, real safe. Not like it's the crime capital of the world or anything."  
  
"It isn't so bad. There is a large gang issue, but the crime rate is lower than in Gotham City. And we'll be able to hide there."  
  
"I know, it just isn't exactly my favourite city in the world. Holds too many less than joyous memories. But hey, at least in Spring City we won't look out of place carting around some guy's body," she said darkly, gesturing at Dr. Selig.  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
Ro stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes, then gave him a less than enthusiastic grin.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
Zeta lifted Dr. Selig once more, and began heading steadily northwards, slowing down and checking over his shoulder occasionally to make sure that Ro was still following.  
  
It was night now, and the new moon offered no light to the fugitives. It didn't matter- Zeta didn't need light, he could see in the dark, and the route to Spring City was programmed into his Global Positioning System. Ro didn't need much light, the glow reflected from the stars allowed her to see her companion's tall form several feet ahead of her.  
  
The trees surrounding them dissipated and gave way to flat farmland and the lights of houses. These lights grew more and more populous as they walked. Soon enough, Ro was able to see a mass of dazzling light far in the distance- the busy Spring City. She watched for awhile, not noticing how long she was taking, having mixed feelings about the lovely sight which held so many lonely memories. The cold grasp of Zee's hand on her arm jolted her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Look. . ." he pointed not towards the city, but behind them, to a small house a ways down a road, and a shiny black car in the driveway. "We'll go much faster by car. . ."  
  
"You're going to steal it?" asked Ro, surprised.  
  
"No. I'll leave a sufficient amount of money to pay for the car."  
  
"Yeah, but Zee, they still aren't gonna like it. . ."  
  
"Why?" he remarked curiously.  
  
"Never mind, we'll go faster. . ."  
  
They took the car, laying Dr. Selig carefully down in the back. Ro stretched against the soft leather passenger seat.  
  
"You'd better have left plenty of money, 'cause this is a pretty schway car. You've been spending too much time around me, Zee, I still can't get used to you stealing."  
  
Zeta blinked impassively, and she grinned at him to show that she was kidding. The corners of his mouth lifted in an imitation of her grin, and the hand that had not tapped into the wheel of the car rested on her shoulder. Suppressing an exhausted yawn, Ro laid her head on Zee's own shoulder. She resolved not to sleep until they were in Spring City, to watch the road and help if Zee needed her, but her eyelids felt heavy and she couldn't help shutting them for just a few seconds.  
  
She awoke much later driving through Spring City. Even though it was very late, the lights were still on in most buildings and traffic was still gliding above the streets, speeding and honking. They were driving through a part of town near the girl's home where Ro had lived a few months after being kicked out of her latest foster home. This had always been a poorer, crime ridden part of town, and Ro could recognize the various hideouts and graffiti symbols of all the local gangs.  
  
"Zee?" she asked gently of her friend. He turned his surprised dark eyes towards her, not having known that she was awake.  
  
"Hello. What is it?"  
  
"Where are we going? Shouldn't we take him to Spring City Mercy Hospital, on the south side of town? Most of the hospitals around here won't really be much good."  
  
Zeta frowned, not out of annoyance but speculation.  
  
"I'm not going to a hospital."  
  
"Why? Doesn't he kinda need a doctor, he's been out for how long?"  
  
"I can't explain, but something seems wrong. I don't want to endanger Dr. Selig's life. I'm trying to find a safe hiding place."  
  
"You shoulda woke me up. If anyone knows Spring City, especially the bad part of town, I do," she remarked cheerfully, a dark edge to her voice.  
  
"I know, but I'm trying to find something specific. I think. . .here."  
  
He pointed to a dingy high rise hotel on the corner of the street. A large neon sign proclaimed "The Spring City Day Hotel."  
  
"Uh. . .it looks. . .interesting, Zee. . .but why?"  
  
"I don't know. But I think it will be safe."  
  
Ro took in the boarded windows, peeling paint, flickering sign, and glass scattered across the ground in front, as if a gun shot had broken some of the windows. "Whatever you say, Zee. . ." she remarked dubiously. He ignored her and parked in the lot next door. Ro stepped out, and was thankful for her sneakers as she crunched a sharp piece of glass beneath her foot. Zeta lifted Dr. Selig out of the back, whose eyelids fluttered softly.  
  
"Zee, he's waking up."  
  
"Yes, of course. He hasn't been truly unconscious for hours, but his body is still resting itself. A head injury can be quite tiresome, especially at his age. I haven't had a chance to talk to him," he added, seeing the look on Ro's face.  
  
Zeta opened the door to the hotel. Several people sat in the lobby. All three were large, muscle bound men wearing grimy clothes and a murderous look. As soon as Ro and Zee entered, they turned their gazes on the pair and the man that Zeta carried. Ro stuck out her chin defiantly, ignoring the sidearms they all carried. Zee's face showed no sign of emotion, but his hand gripped Ro's arm very tightly. Otherwise, he ignored them and steered Ro towards the elevator. The doors opened, and Zeta automatically instructed the elevator to take them to floor 13. Ro glanced back into the lobby as the door closed them inside the lift, but the men were gone.  
  
They reached the 13th floor, and stepped out onto a landing that was decorated rather lavishly in comparison to the run down lobby. Zeta looked behind him sharply, his aural sensors picking up the sound of people behind them that Ro had missed.  
  
The men from the lobby stood there, having somehow caught up to them, and were blocking the elevator. Some other, better dressed men approached from the other direction. Three took Dr. Selig from Zee's hands, and the other four removed Ro from the synthoid's side.  
  
"Zee!" she cried indignantly at being handled against her will, struggling impatiently against her captors. To her surprise, Zeta did not move to help her. He stood there silently and allowed the two to be taken from him without a fight, although not completely impassively- his gaze shifted protectively from Ro to Dr. Selig and instantly back to Ro. Again, some strange feeling told him not to resist these men.  
  
The double doors on the end of the room opened, and a heavy, nearly bald man stepped out. He grinned, flashing a row of chipped white teeth, and spoke in a light, East Gotham accent.  
  
"Welcome back, Zeta. Name's Sweete. Congrats, on finally bringing us Selig. We owe ya one." 


	2. Titus Sweete

A Note From the Author~ Here's Chapter 2, I hope you like! Isn't my favourite chapter. . that would be next chapter or chapter 4. Anyways, thanks for reading this far, and please review! I'll try to get Chapter 3 up next weekend, but I'm going up to Utah for Fourth of July, no internet access, so it may be a bit late. Plus, I've just been struck with the need to write a million cute fluffy Zeta fics to make up for this one. . .it'll pass.  
  
Thanks for reviewing, Dragoncat! I'm hoping Best Laid Plans won't take so long next time to update, as I really like it! ^_^  
  
Chapter 2~ Titus Sweete  
  
Zeta stared blankly at Sweete for a long time, seemingly at a loss for words. The man grinned back at him, as if enjoying the reaction.  
  
"Whaddya mean you owe him one? We didn't do anything for you, and you'd better not hurt Dr. Selig. Don't forget that Zee is an Infiltration Unit, and he can be pretty dangerous when he wants to be," threatened Ro in place of Zeta.  
  
"I know Zeta's an Infiltration Unit. Who d'ya think sent him after Selig in the first place? And he isn't gonna do anything, 'cause he works for us. Maybe you'd better watch it, Rowen. We might send him after you."  
  
Ro shook her head. "No. Zee doesn't work for you. You don't, right Zee? Tell him."  
  
Zeta remained quiet for a second, and then recovered himself. "No. . .I wouldn't hurt Dr. Selig or Ro. Give me back Dr. Selig now, and we'll leave. Otherwise, Ro is right. I am fully capable of dealing with your henchmen and destroying your headquarters."  
  
Sweete chuckled. "Zeta, if I gave you Selig, you'd somehow manage to get him back to us. You can't help it; it's in your programming. I should know, it was our scientists who reprogrammed you."  
  
"You. . .reprogrammed me?"  
  
"Why d'ya think you've had the urge to find Dr. Selig for so long? Why d'ya think you brought him straight here?"  
  
"But. . ." he turned to Ro, and seemed to be pleading with her instead of Sweete. "I really did want to save people, I really did want to be free. . ."  
  
"Naw," grinned Sweete triumphantly. "Just thought you did. Genius part of the programming, really- if you believed all that saving lives crap, then Bennett couldn't prove we'd tampered with you."  
  
"So Bennett was right about me all along," he conceded gloomily. "I should have let him erase me."  
  
A broader grin from Sweete. "But that woulda gone against your programming."  
  
He waved his hand, and his henchmen removed Dr. Selig from the room. Zeta thought to follow, but decided better of it. A second later, he realized it was Brother's Day's programming that kept him from following. He glanced over at Ro, who was glaring at Sweete with an expression of deep malice. He chuckled once again at her narrowed eyes and thin lips.  
  
"I don't know how you came to be involved, kid, but you've turned out pretty lucky for us. Nice of you to convince the bot to look for his creators. We were wondering when he'd get around to that."  
  
"No!" she shouted furiously. "No, you're wrong, you're lying! You couldn't have programmed Zee, because he's too good. He risks his life to save people every goddamn day! He saves people all the time! When have you ever cared about anyone but yourself?"  
  
"I care about people, Rowen." He remarked, suddenly serious. "I care about the future. Technology is weakening our society, and it needs to be done away with. Originally, we were gonna destroy the robot. That's what Brother's Day is all about, doing away with the technology that's polluting our society. But I had a better idea. Why not use the feds' own tech to destroy technology? Now that we got the mastermind behind the Infiltration Units in our clutches, we can create an army of synthoids so powerful the feds can't do nothing to stop us. 'course, it wasn't easy. Some of the big guys in charge of our little corporation thought that creating synthoids was backwards. I had t' do some convincing, and there's still branches of the organization who won't accept it.  
  
"And then came the work. We've been looking for Selig, although we didn't know his name, for over a decade now. Then, Zeta comes along, tries to mess up a nice little deal we have going with Dolan, and gets brought in for reprogramming by one of my agents. We give him some idiotic story about a kid and a bike, and the desire for freedom. Unfortunately, the bot wastes our valuable time trying to bargain with the NSA instead of finding his creators. That's where you come in, Rowen. And the rest is history."  
  
He winked at Ro, and she continued to stare, as if no words could express her disgust. Zeta also stared, but as one in severe shock. Finally, he spoke in a quiet, passive tone.  
  
"It was all a lie? Everything that I am?"  
  
Sweete shrugged. "'fraid so."  
  
"It can't be," he said finally.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Zeta was silent again, and it looked as though he had no answer. When he spoke, he was defeated, begging. "Because it all seemed so real. All of my feelings and thoughts. All of my friends. Ro. They mattered."  
  
"Except they didn't. You just thought they did."  
  
"Zee, don't listen to him!" Ro interjected. "He's lying!"  
  
Zeta's gaze fell upon her for what seemed to be an eternity.  
  
"No, he isn't, Ro," he spoke in a steady tone. "I brought Dr. Selig just as I was programmed to."  
  
"There's got to be another explanation!"  
  
Zeta turned to Sweete once more. "When the NSA tried to erase my CPU, and found that module. . .it was yours, wasn't it?"  
  
"The one in your head? Yeah, among others. We've got a couple back up modules, Zeta. Can't risk you going back to work for Bennett! Hope he didn't try to open it," grinned Sweete as though he hoped very much the opposite. "We left a couple of surprises, just to make sure that if we were discovered, you'd go out with a bang."  
  
Zeta nodded. "I destroyed half of the lab. Ro said having bad inside me made me more human. She was wrong. I was more a machine than either of us suspected."  
  
"That isn't true, Zee!"  
  
He imitated a deep sigh. "Why won't you believe it, Ro? I do. It all makes sense. . .it explains things that I couldn't understand before. Coming here was the proof. Why would I have come here if I wasn't under their control?"  
  
"I can't believe it, Zee. If I believe that you aren't real, then I'm alone again, back to where I was a year ago, on the streets of Spring City. I can't go back to that. Not without putting up a fight."  
  
"Ro. . ."  
  
Sweete frowned at the two of them. "This is really sweet and everything, but I don't have time for this. Get her outta here, put her in the back or something. We'll deal with her later." He waved his arm, and the men holding Ro dragged her out of the room with some difficultly, as she was kicking them at every opportunity. She began to shout to Zeta as she was dragged into the back elevator.  
  
"Zee, don't believe a word that bastard says. You're you, and I know it, and. . ." Her voice began to fade with distance. Zeta still heard, but he blocked her out of his mind. Her every word did not give him hope as was their intention, but instead reminded him that he didn't care about her or anything, that everything that he had ever felt was a lie. And even the pain he felt at this didn't exist.  
  
"'smatter, Zeta, identity crisis?" sneered Sweete.  
  
"Nothing is wrong," he remarked, trying to keep the anger from his voice. "Nothing can be wrong. I couldn't feel it if it was. I didn't mind not feeling before, but now that I understand what it means to feel emotion, I can't stand it. I'm like Ro- I don't want to believe because I cannot go back to before. I've come too far. But unlike Ro, I cannot fight. I have to go back, because I've never really gotten anywhere."  
  
Sweete laughed at this, a hearty laugh, not just a slight chuckle. "Don't worry, Zeta, it won't last long. You know the truth, so your state of enchantment won't last. We've got plans for you- a new mission, new programming. Brenner! Gupton!" he shouted suddenly, and two Brother's Day members in lab coats rushed into the room minutes later- a middle aged woman with greying brown hair, and a young blond man with thick rimmed glasses.  
  
"Why don't you two take our friend to the lab. He needs prep for the next operation. I have to deal with Selig and the girl."  
  
Zeta opened his mouth to object, but the woman, Brenner, slapped a small cervo-inhibitor on his neck, causing his hologram to fail and causing the synthoid to shut off and fall to the ground. Several of the men from earlier came to lift up the body and carry it down to the lab.  
  
Sweete didn't follow, but took the main elevator up one floor. He entered floor 14, a typical hotel floor with three large suites on it. Opening the door to Suite 2, he found Dr. Selig lying on the dusty cot, surrounded by guards. Ro sat on the floor, her wrists bound and a sidearm pressed against the back of her head. Sweete frowned.  
  
"I don't like the idea of the girl in the same room as Selig. This girl's trouble. We'll move her to Suite 3 when I finish up here." He approached the bed and shook Dr. Selig's shoulder gruffly. The scientist's eyes opened slowly, and he looked around in confusion.  
  
"Where am I? What happened to my car?" he muttered curiously.  
  
"Eli Selig. Good to meet you at last. I've heard so much," grinned Sweete.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked, a note of panic in his voice as he sensed the hostility in Sweete's greeting.  
  
"Name's Titus Sweete. Maybe you've heard of me? Run the Spring City branch of a little organization known as Brother's Day."  
  
"I've heard of you," said Dr. Selig sadly. "Well, if you intend to kill me, then do it quickly," he said, gritting his teeth. Ro did have to admire him for this, she hadn't expected bravery from the frail looking elderly man. A good sign, as she had personally been afraid that Selig would turn out to be a dislikeable person and let Zee down, or reject him.  
  
"I don't want to kill you, Eli. I need a mind like yours, on my side."  
  
"I don't want to work for you," said Selig again, bravely.  
  
"You don't really have a choice," grinned Sweete, pressing his sidearm against Selig's forehead. "Just a word of warning, before things get messy. You might not want to refuse. But we can deal with this later." He withdrew his sidearm.  
  
"Dr. Selig?" said Ro softly. "I'm really sorry. This isn't Zee's fault. . .Zee, that's Zeta, you created him. He wants to meet you, wants you to convince people he can be good. He's. . ."  
  
"He's the one who brought you here," grinned Sweete.  
  
"No! Well, yeah, but he didn't want to. He's good. . .he'll get you out of here."  
  
"Only problem is, he's been reprogrammed by now."  
  
"What?! You can't, he's. . .why?"  
  
"That really wouldn't be your business, now, would it?"  
  
Dr. Selig interrupted. "Actually, I would like to know what you're using my synthoid for. I happen to be a bit partial to that one, my best work!"  
  
Ro couldn't help smiling, even though the situation was serious. Once she'd gotten Zee out of Sweete's hands, they could save Dr. Selig, and she didn't have to worry about him rejecting Zee. He liked him! She gave Sweete a triumphant sneer.  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sorta partial to him, too."  
  
Sweete chuckled. "I noticed that. Well, let's just say Zeta has another mission for us. Every heard of the Spring City Robotics Convention? Real annoying, seeing as it's based in the city we like to do our work, but security's too good for us to do anything about it. That place is where the feds recruit most of their techies. Only one way to deal with them."  
  
"Blow it all up?" remarked Ro innocently. "You remind me of a certain insane anarchist I know."  
  
"Stan was never smart enough to think his plots through. You can't go in there guns a blazin' and get caught. It has to be delicate," he said seriously.  
  
Ro shook her head "Sorry, I was wrong. You're crazier than he is. I'm not gonna let you use Zee to hurt people."  
  
"It ain't up to you. I like you, kid, you're tough. I don't wanna kill you, so don't gimme a reason."  
  
Ro gave him a sly grin. "Actually, Titus, I like crazy guys. Thought maybe I'd join up with Brother's Day. Down with technology and everything else that dares to make our lives convenient!" she exclaimed in a serious tone. "Maybe I could help ya out with the Robotics Convention mission, you know, sort of a club initiation type thing."  
  
Sweete smiled back, and adopted a sugary tone. "Sure thing, Rowen, I'll get you a sidearm right now, and let you tag along with your robot friend!" His tone was hard again. "I've been in this organization for thirty years, kid."  
  
She shrugged. "Still worth a shot. Could you at least tell tubby here to stop digging into my skull?" she asked, waving her arm at the guard holding the gun to her head.  
  
"Nope, best to keep you under control. Bye bye, Eli. Later." He said, bashing his sidearm against the doctor's head, causing him to groan and slump down on the bed.  
  
"Well, c'mon, Rowen, better take you to your new quarters." He tugged on Ro's arm and hoisted her up, the other guard's laser point still attached to the back of her head. Sweete dragged Ro out the door, and shoved her onto the floor in Suite 3.  
  
"Remember, better be a good girl. Don't go getting in trouble, 'cause you're expendable. Bye!"  
  
He shut the door behind him, and Ro could hear the key turning in the lock. 


	3. Sacrifice

Author's Note~ Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I always feel so special. Well, we'll see about the darkest before the dawn thing, Dragoncat. . .this fic doesn't have much of a dawn. But, incidentally, I just started writing a Zee/Ro which uses that expression. . .I'll probably post it after this story finishes up. Thank you, this note is over. . the story!  
  
Chapter 3 ~ Sacrifice  
  
Ro lay on the floor of the Suite in which she was imprisoned, ear pressed against the ground, trying to hear what was going on down on the floor beneath her. She could hear Sweete's booming voice talking to the quieter voices of several guards, but could barely make out what they were saying. Suddenly, to her surprise, the low tremors of Zee's voice could be heard, as well. She strained her ears to understand what was being said.  
  
"Zeta, it is time you carry out. . .mission. Have Brenner and. . .prepared. . .?"  
  
"Yes. . . I'm ready" Zee's voice was resolute, yet sorrowful at the same time. Ro's heart skipped as she realized that he couldn't have been completely reprogrammed- the man speaking was the Zee she had always known. She had to stop him, to get to him somehow, and convince him not to kill anyone. Unfortunately, there was still a sidearm pressed against her head.  
  
"'scuse me, Guard? Could I maybe use the bathroom?"  
  
He grunted a response and led her towards the bathroom, opening the door and waving his arm to tell her to go in.  
  
"Eww, I'm not going in front of you! Give a girl some privacy, why dontcha?" He stared at her, not moving.  
  
"What? We're on the 14th story, here. How am I possibly going to escape?"  
  
He spoke for the first time in a deep voice. "I'm under orders."  
  
She grinned. "Titus told you to do this? That kidder! Betcha didn't know I'm his great niece! You know how he is. Big temper, would kidnap his own mother if she got in his way, but he'd be royally pissed off if any of his guards mistreated her!"  
  
The guard coughed nervously. "He. . .didn't say nothin' to me about this."  
  
She glanced around, and spoke in a whisper. "Yeah, it's sorta a secret that I'm here. . .don't tell anyone."  
  
The guard looked skeptical. "Well. . .hurry up! And make sure to tell the boss I never mistreated you."  
  
"Oh, I will!" she grinned, shutting the door. "Idiot." She muttered to herself, and then got instantly to work on escaping. She glanced at the opaque window. The hinges soldered shut, but one edge was wearing away. That seemed to be the best option. Ro took the metallic soap tray and wedged it in the crack, pulling up the window pane. She caught it before it crashed to the floor, and laid it gently on the counter.  
  
"Hurry up in there!" shouted the guard.  
  
"Sorry, sorry! Just gimme a minute!" Sucking in a lungful of air, she managed to squeeze through the tiny window. Ro glanced down. The 14th floor looked a lot higher from here. She could see the pavement below- it looked very far away. To her right, there was nothing but empty sky. A couple feet to her left, a rickety fire escape.  
  
"The things I do for you, Zee," she muttered, poising herself to leap onto the escape from her perch on the window sill. She exhaled, heart fluttering, and jumped. She hadn't jumped far enough, she was going to miss. . .but her hand caught one of the metal bars. Her arm ached where it held her up, but at least she wasn't just a smudge on the pavement. She began to climb down, and heard a crash. The guard had broken open the door, and was running to the window to see her scurrying down the rusty ladder. He began shooting the sidearm, but seemed to be afraid of fatally wounding her, just in case she really was Sweete's niece. Just then, a couple floors above, Sweete's head poked out. His grey eyes rounded as he saw her.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" he yelled at the guard. "Shoot her down!" He grabbed his own sidearm and began firing. Ro must have been around the sixth or seventh floor when his first shot hit the bar she was holding. White hot pain seared through her hand, and she let go, falling. She braced herself to land on the hard asphalt, but to her surprise landed someplace soft and squishy. She opened her eyes, to see that she was sitting in a dumpster.  
  
"Eww. . ." she murmured shakily, then remembered Sweete as a laser blast landed next to her, setting a small fire in the dumpster. She pulled herself out and began dashing away, still pursued by sidearm blasts, but feeling a bit safer as they really weren't meant for this kind of distance. Ro continued running for blocks, chest aching and wounded hand still burning with pain.  
  
Finally, up ahead, she saw the Robotics Convention. Security surveillance surrounded the compound, but they did not look twice at the dark haired young man in a lab coat with a security ID. Neither did they stop Ro, who used the visitors' entrance, and trailed along behind a blonde couple, looking like the teenage daughter who did not want to be seen with her parents. It was only once she was inside that she saw the dark haired scientist, making a beeline for the center of the upper level like a man possessed.  
  
She knew it was still Zee, at least partially. The sad, distant expression on his face was his, the ironically soulful eyes were his, the human form was as familiar to her as her own face. And yet, he was different. He now wanted to kill the people here as much as he would have once wanted to protect them. And he was ruthless- he marched through the building, shoving through the crowd in his way and ignoring their angry mutterings. He would not let anything stand in his way. Yet Ro felt hope- it was still Zee, and she knew she could bring him back. All he needed was to realize what she knew had to be true- that although Brother's Day programmed him, he was developed beyond his programming, and he was real.  
  
She ran to him, she hopped the gate that banned visitors from accessing the upper level, she, too, pushed anyone that dared stand in her path. She could see him taking out a small parcel that looked like some sort of invention- but she could recognize it for a Brother's Day bomb. He was setting it now. . .  
  
"Zee! No, Zee, don't!"  
  
He turned around, to see Ro there, running after him.  
  
"Zee, you can't do this! You don't want to hurt these people!"  
  
His response was instantaneous, automatic. "Yes, I do. It's my programming."  
  
"Screw your programming! You don't have to listen to it! You've beaten it before!"  
  
"Ro, I've always been following orders."  
  
She flinched, as if the idea physically hurt her. "No," she said, calmly, quietly, eyes shining with tears and passion. "No. All those times you were the only one there for me, protecting me, comforting me. . .they were real. They weren't some program. You are the truest friend and truest family I've ever known. You are Zee, not Infiltration Unit Zeta. You can't be a lie. You're real. If you aren't. . .well, you have to be. You just have to."  
  
She didn't seem to notice that the tears were streaming down her face freely, something she would have found despicable normally. He ignored her, and turned back to the bomb to finish setting it. She threw her arms around his waist, attempting to pull him back. People were staring, noticing him, something that he couldn't afford. He spoke to her, his words cold and mild in sharp contrast to her deep emotion.  
  
"Ro, please leave. You are hindering my mission."  
  
"No! I won't leave until you come back to me! You'll hear my voice, and you'll come back!" she sobbed. He wrenched her arms off his body and dropped her on the ground. He stepped away and finished setting the bomb, but she grabbed him again.  
  
"No! I won't let you hurt people! You wouldn't want it! You'll hate it, when you come back to me! Everyone run, there's a bomb!" she screamed. Panic ensued, people rushing every which way to find the door. Half of the security guards joined the rush to escape, the more valiant half came rushing at Zeta. These were quickly scattered by a blast from the plasma cannon Zeta had recently acquired.  
  
"You are severely threatening my mission. I will have no choice but to eliminate you," he said softly, emotionlessly. She gazed up at his face, met his eyes with a brave grimace.  
  
"You wouldn't kill me, Zee. You'd never hurt me."  
  
Looking at the sobbing girl, that false pain at the non-existence of feelings filled him once again. She was a lie. All he had ever felt for her was a lie. It was gone and never had been. All she was was a mission threat, a target to be destroyed.  
  
As if reading his thoughts, she shook her head. "No, Zee. You'd never hurt me. I trust you."  
  
His eyes remained cold, and Ro shivered but did not move. It's Zee, I trust him, she repeated over and over again, trying to convince herself not to be afraid. Suddenly, his powerful arms lifted her off the ground where she knelt, and drew her body against his, drew her cheek to his. She looked up at him, her eyes brightened, her lips formed a broad smile as her bright gaze met his dark eyes, a pale hand reaching up to touch his face.  
  
He took her head in one of his hands and cupped it gently for a moment, then pulled back quite suddenly. There was a crack like a gunshot when her neck broke. The blood poured onto his fingers. 


	4. The Truth

Author's Note~ Well, here it is, the last chapter. Couldn't post it until now 'cause ff.net has been down. . .arg. . .I'm in a seriously depressed mood writing this, sorry. . .thanks for reading, everyone! *hugs* Sorry about the depressing nature of this story. . .please review!

Chapter 4~ The Truth

The normally crowded Spring City Robotics Convention was emptying quickly. People everywhere ran in every which way, searching for family members or a quicker exit, escaping from the rumor of a bomb and the strange man said to have brought it.

In the center of this chaos, Zeta stood, silent, unmoving, staring down blankly at the body he held in his arms. He was currently performing a system's check, trying to discover what was wrong, for the 3rd time since he had broken Ro's neck. It came up, as it had the other two times, saying that he was in perfect operating condition. He ran it again. There was something wrong, that much was obvious to him. Before the facsimiles of emotion had haunted him; now all of a sudden he felt nothing. 

This made no sense to him- Brother's Day had not taken the time to completely reprogram him void of feeling, they had simply given him the desire to complete his mission. But even that desire was gone. He tore his eyes from Ro for a few seconds to switch off the bomb. Then, he performed another system's check. Nothing was wrong. That was exactly what troubled him.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of police sirens. Someone must have called them here. The NSA wouldn't be far behind. He turned to run, and wondered why. What did it matter if Bennett caught him? Yet run he did, still clutching Ro in his arms. 

He lost the NSA briefly inside an abandoned shop, and he hid behind the boarded windows. The sirens passed by, and he knew he had to carry on, but why, he did not know. Void of all emotion, he lay Ro on the ground. She lay at an unnatural angle, her head bent too far to the side and her limbs scattered about the floor. Blood could no longer seep from the wound in her neck, it had dried leaving a nearly black stain on her throat and shirt. 

A passing police car shone a light on her body for a moment, illuminating her white face, her lips still frozen in an expression of adoration. She had never expected, never had time to understand her fate. Her last words ran through his mind. . .I trust you. . . He shivered and the feeling came back. Anger, anger more powerful than he had known possible. No, it was not anger, it was an emotion he had thought was purely human- the lust for revenge. It was Sweete who did this, he had made Zeta befriend Ro, he had made her trust him, he had reprogrammed Zeta to put his mission first, to kill her. . .

Zeta stroked Ro's drawn face with the back on his hand, placed a kiss on her cold cheek, and left her for the last time, unable to look into those expressionless eyes. He ran, through the back alleys, back to the hotel. When he entered the lobby, several of Sweete's henchmen attacked, but Zeta flung them to the ground. He took the elevator to Sweete's base, the 13th floor, and stepped onto the red carpet. The Brother's Day soldier stood there, waiting for him, plasma rifle in hand.

"Zeta. You're back. Didn't even complete the mission! Useless, absolutely useless. I s'pose that Rowen brat managed to stop you? Should have shot her when I had the chance."

Zeta's deep navy eyes narrowed to slits. "She's gone."

"Gone? Whaddya mean. . .Zeta! You finished her off, didn't you? I'm impressed. At least you got one thing right."

"It's your fault. You as good as killed her when you sent me there."

Sweete grinned. "Zeta, Zeta, don't blame me for what you did. . ."

"You killed her. I'm going to kill you."

Titus Sweete raised the plasma rifle, but a long arm shot out from Zeta's hologram and grasped the large gun. He twisted the metal and threw it lightly to the side. Then he grasped Sweete's collar in his hand. The man choked, horror on his face as he realized that Zeta was serious.

"Zeta, please, don't. . ."

Zeta ripped out his throat. Sweete's blood mingled with Ro's on his hand. He dropped the body, and felt no satisfaction. Sweete had reprogrammed him, but what was he doing now? Defying his programming. He had always had the ability. He had merely obeyed before because he was too busy pitying himself to care. If only he had fought, like Ro had said. If only he had listened to her. . .I trust you. . .Sweete was not to blame for Ro's death. Why did these realizations always come too late?

A sharp thump from upstairs caught his attention, like something was hitting the ground. It came again. He took the elevator up to floor 14.

"Hello?" He called softly.

"In here!" came a muffled voice. Zeta opened the door to Suite 2.

"Dr. Selig?" He quickly took out the two guards trying to restrain the scientist. Dr. Selig started to stand, and Zeta offered him his hand, carefully concealing the blood with his hologram. Eli Selig took the hand and stood up.

"Are you Zeta?" he said dubiously.

"Yes, I. . .how did you know?"

"The girl told me. Your friend. She said you wanted to meet me. Said you needed me to help you prove that you were capable of sentience. That you were. . .good." He smiled. "When I created you, I didn't expect you to have capabilities such as this, but I know with research I'll be able to find proof."

Zeta stared blankly at Dr. Selig. "I'm sorry. . .Ro was wrong. I'm not good." He removed his hologram, and displayed his hands covered in drying blood. "I'm a murderer. They weren't the first, and I can't be sure they'll be the last."

Dr. Selig took in a sharp breath at first, but then recovered and frowned. "Zeta. . .coming up here, fighting those guards, rescuing me are all proof of a very complex artificial intelligence, and the grasp between right and wrong. I don't know who you killed, but you have risen above your destructive nature. Have a little faith in yourself, Zeta."

"Ro had faith in me. She trusted me. I killed her. I cannot trust myself."

Dr. Selig's eyes widened, and he looked at the floor, unable to meet Zeta's gaze.

"I'm sorry. I have to go. The guards are for the most part unconscious, and the NSA will be here to investigate shortly. They'll keep you safe. Goodbye, Dr. Selig."

"Where are you going?"

Zeta shook his head, and restored his hologram, before exiting via the window. He climbed down the building using his long arms and legs to navigate between window sills. He reached the ground, just as the police drove up to the building to investigate reports called in by various locals. 

Zeta began to run away from the building, unsure of where he was going to go. He was a killer now, a killer of his own right. Before, he had been ignorant, and killed because he was programmed to do so. Now, he knew what right and wrong were, and he had done the worst of wrong. Sweete was a terrible man, but this was not why Zeta had killed him. He had killed him out of hatred and vengeance, the very things he had always stood against. 

And Ro. . .whether or not he had been capable of overcoming his programming, he had killed her. The one person who mattered, the one thing he felt that had been real. Was he to continue forever making these mistakes and not realizing until it was too late to change? He had to admit that there was no way for him to ever know what was programmed and what was real until he had lost it. How did he know he wasn't following his programming this minute? He realized that he was pitying himself again, the very thing that he had attributed to Ro's death. Yet he couldn't help it, a wave of hopelessness and despair filled him. Ro was the one empty and emotionless, and he was the one alone on the streets of Spring City.

He heard the sound of the NSA van behind him, following. By now, he was nearing the edge of Spring City, into the ruins of the abandoned north side of town. There were few places to hide here. . .did he even want to hide? He kept running and watching the change in environment, looking for a safe place quite automatically, void of any desire to survive. Finally he found refuge inside an old fashioned electric plant. He was running through the halls towards the generator when he heard the NSA park outside and its agents begin to surround the area. He kept running through the metal rooms, his footsteps echoing about the walls. Bennett's voice shouted at him from outside the compound.

"Zeta, what are you doing in there?"

He ignored the agent and kept running. Finally, he stopped at the generator. His sensitive aural sensors could hear Bennett talking to one of his agents outside.

"Rush, do you have his location?"

"Sir, the security cameras show that he's hiding inside the generator."

"What? The electric pulses would be enough to fry his central wiring within seconds!"

"I know, sir, but the emergency switch has been activated recently. The generator is shut off."

Zeta's eyes traveled to the red switch on the wall. He had been wondering why he detected minimal traces of energy in the air. 

"Rush, can we send in any agents?"

"It's dangerous- the building is old. They'd have to move slowly, and wouldn't be able to use any of our weaponry. It would probably be better not to send them, he can't escape as long as we've got him surrounded."

Bennett sighed. "Where's Agent West?"

"Home sick with the flu, sir."

"Perfect." He resumed shouting. "Zeta! We have surrounded the plant. There is no way out. Come to us now, and we'll return you for reprogramming."

"No!"

"Zeta, there's no point in a struggle. You can't return to Brother's Day. Besides, we've been back to your headquarters. Titus Sweete is dead, Zeta."

"I don't want to return. I don't want to hurt anyone!"

"Good! You don't have to. You can come with us."

"You will reprogram me to be a weapon. I don't want that. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You may have thought that before, Zeta, but you honestly can't still feel that way! We've found the girl's body, Zeta. How can you think you only want to help people when Miss Rowen is dead by your hands? You don't want to hurt any more innocent people, do you?"

The image of Ro lying on the shop floor came unbidden to his mind. I trust you. It had just dawned on him why he had come here.

"No. I don't."

"Good to see you're listening to reason."

"I don't want to hurt anyone. Never again."

"Zeta, you're best bet is with us! There's no way to ensure that you won't hurt anyone on your own!"

"Yes. There is one way."

And he pulled the switch. Everything was calm for a moment, then thousands of volts ripped through the synthoid's body, leaving only an empty shell. 


End file.
